The Brisbane Lions and Station 81 firefighters are bringing Santa around town on Christmas morning! Check out Santa's route to see where he'll be and when. When you hear the fire truck siren, make sure you come out and greet him! But please be mindful that Santa is on a tight schedule and also needs to get home to spend Christmas with his family. Thank you to the Brisbane Lions Club and Brisbane Fire Department for helping Santa spread Christmas cheer!

Current rendering of the new Brisbane Library from architect Siegel & Strain, Visitacion perspective

The City of Brisbane Public Art Program seeks an artist/artist team to develop and install a permanent installation of public art at the new Brisbane Library. The installation of the art should be completed by the time the new library is open, which is anticipated to be no later than the fall of 2018. The Public Art Request for Proposal for the new Brisbane Library can be accessed here. All proposals are due by February 10, 2017.

In 2014, the Brisbane Public Art Program was established to energize public spaces, arouse thinking, and transform the places where we live, work and play into more welcoming and beautiful environments that invite interaction. By its presence alone, public art is expected to heighten our awareness, question our assumptions, transform a landscape, and express our communities' values. This artwork will be the first permanent piece in the City of Brisbane's public art collection and we can't wait to see what comes forth!

UPDATE: 12/9/2016 - The Council listened to all the feedback provided to them regarding this item and moved to have this item brought back to them in January (January 5, 2017) with a number of different options.

Recent State legislation (SB 415) requires cities, counties, school districts and other special districts' elections be held in conjunction with statewide elections, i.e., November or June of even-numbered years if the agency’s voter turnout for its current election date is at least 25 percent lower than its average turnout for the four previous statewide general elections (Nov. 2014, 2012, 2010, 2008). Such is the case for Brisbane, where the City Clerk, in consultation with the County Registrar of Voters, has determined that indeed there has been a significant decrease in voter turnout when the voter turnout in November 2015 (48%) is compared to the average voter turnout in the previous four statewide general elections (71%). There was a 32% decrease in voter turnout: 71 – 48 = 23/71 = 32%.

Currently, Brisbane City Council elections are held in November of odd-numbered years. On December 8th, the Brisbane City Council will consider Ordinance No. 614 that would change the year at which City Council elections would be held to even-numbered years, but still in November. By reason of this change to even-numbered years, the term of office for three current Councilmembers would be extended by one year, from 2017 to 2018, and from 2019 to 2020 for two other Councilmembers. Thereafter, each person elected to the City Council would serve a term of four years and the city will have complied with State law by the November 8, 2022 statewide election and deadline. For more information, read the staff report from City Attorney Michael Roush, which will be made available on the December 8, 2016 meeting agenda page at least 72 hours prior to the 12/8 Council meeting.

The City of Brisbane receives 100% of its water from the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. The source of the water is over 150 miles away, and the water is routed through a complex system of pipes, storage facilities and treatment plants. When SFPUC conducts operational changes in their system (e.g., maintenance on a pipeline segment, or switching the source water from direct Hetch Hetchy water to the local lakes such as Crystal Springs) the chemistry of that water changes, and this can result in a different taste and smell profile until users are accustomed to the “new” water.

Last month, an SFPUC operational change resulted in some people in SSF, SF and Brisbane reporting water that had a smell slightly of tar or asphalt. (see November posts on this website for further details)

Within the last few days, some customers within the region are reporting an “earthy/musty” taste to their water. SFPUC has provided information regarding the reason for that change here: http://bit.ly/2h7huL0

There are two notes we would like to highlight on both occurrences. First, City staff works closely with SFPUC when we become aware of these issues; we can confirm that SFPUC reports that the water has continuously met or exceeded all regulatory requirements, and is safe to drink. Second, the fastest way for city staff to become aware of any concerns regarding water quality is to contact us directly at (415) 508-2130.

We will provide updates on this current situation as they are provided to us by SFPUC, and we are also planning a detailed STAR article to provide additional details on the challenges and complexity of continuously providing drinking water that meets all state and federal requirements.

It was a windy Friday morning at the Brisbane Marina, with 30 MPH northwest winds and choppy conditions. When boater Scott Wall arrived at the south end of the Marina that morning, he saw Marina Director Randy Breault and Lead Marina Maintenance Worker Dolan Shoblo monitoring the water with binoculars. Scott looked towards Oyster Point and saw what they were observing – a sailboat was pitching up and down with the heavy wave action, and appeared to be in imminent danger of losing its anchor, which would have resulted in it being pushed towards certain destruction against the Oyster Point break wall. However, Harbormaster Michael Hahn, Marina Maintenance Worker Chris Redfield, and Marina tenant/good samaritan Michael Lael were already deployed on the Marina’s boat and enroute to the vessel in distress. Being a very experienced sailor, Michael was able to transfer from the marina boat to the distressed vessel, and assist that captain with receipt of a tow line and management of the sailboat’s anchor lines. The Marina boat was then able to tow the sailboat safely back to safe harbor in our Marina. Thanks to the quick work of the Marina staff and fellow boaters that helped with the morning rescue, this sailboat and her crew survived to sail another day.

Enjoy pictures of the resuce below, which were captured by Scott Wall.

A few months ago, the City’s Complete Streets Safety Committee discussed improving visibility at the intersection of San Bruno and Alvarado, which is the block before Brisbane Elementary School when heading up San Bruno. Last Thursday, the City’s contractor completed the painting of white chevrons or diagonal lines which indicate no parking at all 8 curb returns to improve the safety of pedestrians, for both children and adults alike. After the work was completed, city staff determined that a few more chevrons were put down on the roadway than originally planned. Thus, the contractor will be back out in early December to rectify the situation, which will also result in a few parking spaces being added back to the street. Thank you for your patience and understanding as this issue is resolved. For any questions about this project, please contact the Public Works Dept. at (415) 508-2130.

Special thanks to Brisbane Public Works for helping residents dispose of their yard waste on Saturday and Sunday and to South San Francisco Scavenger Co. for the 35 total trips their trucks made to haul all of it away!

UPDATE 11/19, 12:38pm - The SFPUC placed a segment of pipeline into service on 11-17-16 after routine maintenance activities. Some customers in South San Francisco, Brisbane, and the southern portion of San Francisco may experience temporary taste and odor issues because of stagnant water that was in this pipeline. The SFPUC has flushed water in its service area to correct this problem. Additionally, the SFPUC has collected and analyzed water samples from the service area and determined that Federal and State drinking water standards are being met.

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On Friday, city staff received several citizen complaints of taste and odor issues coming from their faucets. After conducting a review of our internal operations and finding no likely cause for these issues, we contacted our wholesale supplier, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which provided the statement below on Friday evening.

The SFPUC placed a segment of pipeline into service yesterday after routine maintenance activities. Some customers in South San Francisco, Brisbane, and the southern portion of San Francisco may experience temporary taste and odor issues because of this activity. The SFPUC is in the process of collecting water quality samples in its customer complaint areas to evaluate this event. The system should return to normal over the next 24-48 hours.

In order to make necessary improvements to the water main, water service will temporarily be shut down at the addresses highlighted in blue on the map below of Joy Ave., Gladys Rd., Lake St., and San Bruno Avenue. The scheduled shutdown will occur on Monday, November 21st from 10am - 4pm. Repair work at Lake St. and San Bruno will take place that day from 8am - 5pm. Click on the map to view larger.

We thank you for your patience and understanding as the work is being completed. If you have any questions, please contact the Public Works Dept. at (415) 508-2130.

Mayor Cliff Lentz provided the City's 2016 State of the City Address last Thursday at the DoubleTree Hotel in Brisbane. Take a look at project highlights from the past year, and those to come by watching the recording below, which will also be played back on Ch. 27 through the first part of 2017. Thank you to the Brisbane Chamber of Commerce for hosting this annual event! Click here to view the slides from the Mayor's PowerPoint presentation.

Each year, the Chamber of Commerce hosts the State of the City Address, which was held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Brisbane and attended by residents as well as members of the business community.Taking place just two days after the U.S. Presidential Election, Mayor Lentz started off with the notion of what change means.It could mean going to something new, or something different, or going back to something that used to be.Being in Brisbane for the past 27 years, he has seen a lot of change, but has come to know that in Brisbane, “We do change because we want to make our town better.”And there are things that haven’t changed since the day he’s arrived – “having a safe community, a community that takes care of each other, that connectivity to nature, the great services, having responsible government – those things still exist today and we’re thriving in those areas, and many others.”He then went into detail on projects and events that show where we’ve been and where we’re going.

An example community project that shows our collaborative effort is the new Brisbane Skatepark, which opened this past summer.It started as a grassroots effort with students coming to a Council Meeting to encourage Council’s support of building a new skatepark.It gained momentum in the community, with t-shirt sales and car show proceeds going towards the project, along with families, individuals and businesses reserving bricks in the Commit-to-a-Brick campaign that were placed at the entrance to the Skatepark once construction wrapped up.Others made in-kind donations with the services their business offered and the city received a grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation.All of this offset the total Skatepark construction costs by nearly 20%, making it a truly collaborative and community effort.

Mayor Lentz also highlighted the plans for the new Brisbane Library, something many in the community have wanted for a very long time.This will be a fantastic addition to our downtown, which will be 2.5 times the size of the current library.The plans include a maker space site, separate teen and children areas, breakrooms, a community space, a historic archive area, an open outside courtyard, just to name a few items.Not only will the new library have amazing design qualities, it will be built very sustainably.The plans include a rainwater cistern, solar panels, and be zero net emissions/carbon-neutral.Just as we always take on projects with a very strong emphasis on community engagement, the same will be done as we move forward to determine the use(s) of the old library site.

The Mayor touched on Priority-Based Budgeting and the five results/categories that the City Council is committed to adopting fiscal plans around.The five results are:

Ensuring Brisbane is a SAFE community

Enhancing residents’ lives through COMMUNITY BUILDING

Promoting ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY

Creating opportunities through ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, and

Safeguarding community services through FISCAL PRUDENCE

In considering the City’s financial state, more money has brought in than what has been spent, which then get placed into reserves.Specifically, the City’s reserves have been increased by nearly $5 million in 4 years (2012-2015).These reserves are then able to fund programs for the Teens, such as the $50,000 that is applied to help fund the Afterschool Program at Lipman where it’s been seen that so many more Teens are involved in afterschool programs than ever before.We’ve also been able to install new handrails on stairways in town that aid in Brisbane’s walkability and safety.The City is also caught up on deferred maintenance at the Pool, Storm Drain System, trails and paths.Funds have also been set aside for repair and maintenance of infrastructure and to reduce long-term liabilities.

Upcoming projects include the Parkside Precise Plan, where locations across the street from the Community Park and near amenities were identified as sites for future housing, including affordable housing.The hope is for all Brisbane residents, from the younger generation(s) to seniors, the ability to age in place and to live out the rest of their lives in dignity.

Sierra Point is starting to get a lot of traction with building going on in San Francisco and down the Peninsula to Silicon Valley.Before everything is built out, one of the things the City wants to do is to create a great public space.Therefore, the City is working with OPUS, a property owner out at Sierra Point, to have already-existing uses in their development agreement such as R&D or a hotel and in return, the City potentially getting back the piece of property to one day create this public space.

The Mayor concluded his remarks with talking about the Baylands Project and the Baylands Sustainability Framework.The public process for the Baylands Project started in 2006 and where the Council is embarking on its deliberations and reviewing the project and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on a monthly basis through Spring 2017.In 2017, the Council will decide if any changes are needed to be made to the General Plan.Ultimately, the Council has expressed that the final outcome of the Baylands development will be decided by Brisbane voters.

The City of Brisbane has been recognized by the Institute for Local Government for its holistic view at tackling climate change and reducing its carbon footprint.Stay tuned for community workshops that will be held in early 2017 to help the community become more aware about these principles that will guide any development that occurs at the Baylands.

On November 3rd, the Brisbane City Council voted to adopt Ordinance No. 611, which prohibits smoking of tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, in multi-unit residences. This pertains to the enclosed and unenclosed common areas of a multi-unit residence, unless it is a designated smoking area. Brisbane will join about 20 other cities or county unincorporated areas in Northern California requiring multi-unit housing to be smoke-free. Note: This ordinance does not apply to those with a medical marijuana card. Enforcement will be deferred six months, or until the first part of June, in order for property owners and tenants to become aware of the new regulations and take any necessary measures to comply with the ordinance. If there are complaints, they should be directed to the City's Code Enforcement Officer at (415) 508-2172. The Code Enforcement Officer will work with the County in educating the offender before enforcing the ordinance.

It was a beautiful morning to honor those who selflessly served in the armed forces and risked their lives for the freedom we enjoy today. Thank you to all who attended the City's Annual Flag-Raising Event! Next year, we hope to see even more Veterans out at the Community Park that live in this beautiful City of Stars.

Special thanks to Jeri Sulley and Kathy Wall who led everyone in singing the Star Spangled Banner, the Brisbane Police Department for escorting our oldest Veteran, Charles E. (Chuck) Blunt and his wife, Helen, to the event -- Chuck served as a Sergeant in World War II and has 2 Purple Hearts, and the Brisbane Public Works Dept. and Parks and Recreation Dept. for their assistance with today's ceremony. It was also great to see so many in Public Safety at the event - we are truly grateful for all those that wear the badge and protect the lives and welfare of Brisbane and its citizens!

The City of Brisbane, along with all other cities in San Mateo County, contracts with the County of San Mateo Elections Office. The County counts and posts the election results. The County has, by State Law, up to 28 days to certify the election results, at which point they will become official. In the meantime, election results will be updated at 4:30pm on November 10, 15, 18, and 23, 2016.

Mayor Lentz and Councilmember Terry O'Connell held an Airport Noise Workshop on Friday, November 4th at 6pm in the Community Meeting Room at City Hall. It was broadcast live on Ch. 27 and live-streamed on the City's website. Below is the recorded meeting video: